Hot Topics:

Lawyer says threat suspect was bullied

Nashoba Tech student allegedly said he'd 'take out' those who picked on him

By Lisa Redmond, lredmond@lowellsun.com

Updated:
12/21/2012 07:14:42 AM EST

AYER -- The lawyer for a 17-year-old student at Nashoba Valley Technical High School, who faces criminal charges after police say he threatened to bring a gun to school and "take out" classmates, said his client is the victim of long-term bullying and that any comments he allegedly made have been "blown out of proportion."

"Bullying has a been a problem for my client for some time," said defense attorney Brian Burke, who represents Sean-Michael Fladager of Littleton.

Anything Fladager allegedly did or said has been blown out of proportion to the point of being "ridiculous," Burke said.

Fladager has been charged by Westford police with a bomb/hijack threat causing serious public alarm, as well as two counts of threatening to commit a crime, for his alleged comments. He is also facing a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for a separate incident involving an alleged assault on a student.

In Ayer District Court on Wednesday, Fladager pleaded not guilty to the charges. Judge Peter Kilmartin released Fladager on personal recognizance with conditions that he remain under house arrest, not contact specific students who were listed as alleged targets, stay away from the school unless allowed to return, and not have access to any firearms.

Fladager was also ordered to have a mental-health evaluation.

"The unfortunate thing is that this whole thing could have been taken care of with a suspension,'' Burke said. "Now my client is facing felony charges.

Advertisement

This whole thing has been blown out of proportion."

Nashoba Tech Superintendent Judith Klimkiewicz said school officials have "zero tolerance'' for this type of behavior.

Klimkiewicz said the student was already suspended due to an alleged assault. He will remain under suspension until a meeting can be held with school officials, the student and his parents regarding the issue, she said.

Klimkiewicz stressed that "everybody is very sensitive right now,'' referring to Friday's mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that left 20 children and six teachers dead.

But Burke said Fladager has been an easy target for bullies in school. He is hoping the school district will investigate the case thoroughly and punish the bullies who have allegedly been victimizing his client.

According to court documents, police say Fladager was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after he was allegedly involved in a fight in the hallway on Dec. 12.

Police say the assistant principal was told the alleged victim repeatedly tapped Fladager's backpack, even after being told to stop. When the victim did it again, Fladager allegedly turned around and pushed the alleged victim by the head into a brick wall. Fladager was suspended.

Burke argues the alleged victim is one of the students who has been bullying his client and should have also been suspended.

Two days later, while Fladager was out of school on suspension, it was brought to the attention of school officials that Fladager made comments during the past month or so about bringing a gun to school, according to court documents.

Several students told police that over the past month and a half, Fladager made statements that he hated everyone at the school, and he threatened to bring a gun to school and "kill everyone'' and then kill himself, documents state.

Police were told that Fladager said he would "take out'' the people who picked on him by bringing a sub-machine gun into school because it would be easier to hide it in a backpack, documents state.

Fladager allegedly stated he could get a gun from a relative's home, documents state. Another student told police Fladager told one student that he had a "death plan'' for several students who have bullied him, but never went into detail, according to court documents.

When Westford police questioned Fladager about his alleged comment, he said he didn't remember making any type of statements about bringing a gun to school or hurting anyone, documents state.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.